Too Niche? Plastic Surgery Summer & The Current State of Beauty with Jessica DeFino
Aug 28, 2025
In this discussion, beauty culture critic Jessica DeFino unpacks the complex landscape of beauty standards today. She critiques Skims’ chin-shaper as a gimmick and explores the summer's facelift craze, shedding light on celebrity aesthetics' uncanny aspects. The conversation dives into Goop’s influence and the tension between wellness and beauty politics, including how societal shifts impact women's perceptions. DeFino highlights upcoming beauty trends to watch, from a backlash against fillers to the hopefulness of research-informed beauty practices.
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From Dermatitis To Critical Beauty Writing
- Jessica DeFino began covering beauty after skin damage from product reactions and topical steroid withdrawal.
- She launched The Unpublishable (now Flesh World) to publish critical beauty stories advertisers wouldn't fund.
When Content Became Product Advertising
- Kardashian apps sold impossible beauty via Photoshop and affiliate links, creating misleading standards.
- Jessica says this commerce-content conflict pushed her to question beauty media's ethics.
Consumable Gimmicks Thrive As Playful Illusions
- Many beauty products and trends function as 'illusions without owners' that people enjoy despite knowing they're ineffective.
- Jessica links this to why gimmicks like face shapewear sell even when people call them bullshit.
